Recommend some Rusev NXT Deep Cuts

[chazraps]

I'm in the mood to check out some pre-main roster Rusev matches while I make some Rusev cous-cous this week.

I remember his debut with Ziggler being excellent, and I was hoping someone could please point me in the direction of some great NXT Rusev encounters?

[Bo Rida]

Rusev vs shoes? Rusev vs Alexander?

Not sure he had any. I expect he must have though. Maybe against Neville? Everybody had a good match against Neville. Expect Titus.

[Deleted]

I want to see his early NXT battles, but especially this one before all of it...

[RI Richmark]

Rusev wearing brown garbage bags vs. flimsy wooden boards with names on them?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

There really aren’t many. Dude was either in a random ass enhancement tag team with Scott Dawson or doing squash matches to establish the pairing with Lana.

[Push R Truth]

There is some rare footage of him as Big Bartholomew if you can find it

[Starshine]

He had some pretty boring matches with Kofi Kingston if that's your thing.

The only real notable thing about his NXT run was his big brown leather diaper.

[brettappedout (BLM)]

He broke wooden boards...that was cool ***shrug*** All I got lmao

[Rave]

Jul 13, 2020 22:02:58 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

There really aren’t many. Dude was either in a random ass enhancement tag team with Scott Dawson or doing squash matches to establish the pairing with Lana.

There might be some FCW stuff, but not much of that either. Rusev was injured through much of his pre-NXT developmental run.

[brettappedout (BLM)]

Jul 13, 2020 22:21:51 GMT -5 Rave said:

Jul 13, 2020 22:02:58 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

There really aren’t many. Dude was either in a random ass enhancement tag team with Scott Dawson or doing squash matches to establish the pairing with Lana.

There might be some FCW stuff, but not much of that either. Rusev was injured through much of his pre-NXT developmental run.

He broke his neck didn't he?

[Rave]

Jul 13, 2020 22:22:52 GMT -5 brettappedout (BLM) said:

Jul 13, 2020 22:21:51 GMT -5 Rave said:

There might be some FCW stuff, but not much of that either. Rusev was injured through much of his pre-NXT developmental run.

He broke his neck didn't he?

Tore his ACL and MCL in 2011, came back in early 2012, then broke his neck midway through that year.

[brettappedout (BLM)]

Jul 13, 2020 22:43:39 GMT -5 Rave said:

Jul 13, 2020 22:22:52 GMT -5 brettappedout (BLM) said:

He broke his neck didn't he?

Tore his ACL and MCL in 2011, came back in early 2012, then broke his neck midway through that year.

gawd damn! Hopefully he gets another shot to be a big name. Dude is has a great backstory aka living the famous American dream. Very good career, became a US citizen, has a very pretty wife and just seems like an awesome guy.

[Susan "Poison" Candy]

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Jul 13, 2020 23:23:31 GMT -5 Susan "Poison" Candy said:

This is screaming for an Oscar the Grouch edit. Or Mario coming out of the green pipe.

[Susan "Poison" Candy]

Jul 13, 2020 23:43:39 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Jul 13, 2020 23:23:31 GMT -5 Susan "Poison" Candy said:

This is screaming for an Oscar the Grouch edit. Or Mario coming out of the green pipe.

Or this?

[Deleted]

Rusev don't blade, brother.

[repomark]

Been working my way through the early full sail NXTs and up to mid 2014 when Rusev was breaking into the main roster. It’s all been squash matches really other than the Ziggler match you mention in his (sort of) debut. That was a nice little match.

His brief run with Sylvester Laforte as his manager was not a good fit, so wouldn’t recommend much pre Lana other than that Ziggler match.

Since then most significantly he has beaten Kofi, Xavier Woods and is currently feuding with Mojo Rawley (which is fun for the hopeful Mojo destruction that is about to occur).

Really I suppose it depends on if you just want to see Rusev crush dudes (of which there is plenty) or if you want to see “good” matches In the more traditional sense (of which there aren’t many during this period that I have seen so far).

[Kyle Butler]

Jul 12, 2020 15:09:10 GMT -5 mj0mn0m said:

I want to see his early NXT battles, but especially this one before all of it...

I hope RuRu didn’t get covered in any RED VISCOUS LIQUID(TM)

[Mozenrath]

Jul 13, 2020 22:43:39 GMT -5 Rave said:

Jul 13, 2020 22:22:52 GMT -5 brettappedout (BLM) said:

He broke his neck didn't he?

Tore his ACL and MCL in 2011, came back in early 2012, then broke his neck midway through that year.

Was the latter when he studied muay thai during his recovery?

[Rave]

Jul 14, 2020 7:27:12 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Jul 13, 2020 22:43:39 GMT -5 Rave said:

Tore his ACL and MCL in 2011, came back in early 2012, then broke his neck midway through that year.

Was the latter when he studied muay thai during his recovery?

Wikipedia says yes. Then he was back at the end of May 2013, didn't actually have his first NXT singles match 'til August (the aforementioned Ziggler match), got called up in April 2014, and was out of NXT for good in July, with his last match there being against Neville.